Date:         Wed, 13 Sep 2000 03:57:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Brian Wagener <bh_wagener@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brian Wagener <bh_wagener@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Just got first vanagon, need some help.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello all,
Yep I just got my first vanagon.  I have previously
only had an aircooled 1971 bug.  But I needed
something to haul stuff around in, so a friend of mine
sold me his 1985 vanagon GL for $500.  I was so happy
yesterday when it passed emission inspection since I
am in Laurel, MD.  But it is not perfect, and my
bentley manual is in the mail so I thought I could ask
some troubleshooting advice before it got here.

1) Runs real rough, will stall in idle while in drive.
 Just replaced plug wires, cap, rotor, plugs,  but
didn't help.  The PO gave me a new fuel pump, could it
be a fuel problem?

2) This just makes number one above worse because
since it does stall, I have to restart the car and it
starts not very well.  The PO thinks that the gears on
the torque convertor are messed up, and are eating the
gears on the starter.  When he had the bus, he would
change out the starter every few months(lifetime
warrenty) when there would be no teeth left on the
starter.  Does this sound probable?  When it starts it
sometimes starts normally, but mostly makes this
terrible loud noise.

3)  There is some noise in the rear end when going
over bumps, a sort of low clunking, where should I
look?

Thanks in advance,

Brian Wagener

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